The 6-ounce ochotona princeps can't handle the heat. CA DEPT. OF FISH & GAME.The American pika is the first animal for which endangered species protection has been sought because of global climate change. When the temperature rises over 77 degrees, they have a tendency to die. One study projects they may be all but gone by the end of this century. The California Department of Fish & Game has unanimously denied the petition, finding no evidence of their decline in the Sierra Nevada.

"It strikes me that this petition isn't so much about pika as it is about the effect of climate change on alpine wildlife," said F&G Commissioner Michael Sutton. "This threat is better dealt with in a much more comprehensive way."